Bankside Joins London Design Festival

This year saw Bankside’s debut as a new district for the London Design Festival. Situated just South of the river, Bankside has undergone a series of changes since the launch of Tate Modern and the Millennium Bridge and as a creative design hub that it has become today; we were excited to see what was in store.

We honed in on the Oxo Tower and checked out Innermost’s preview for the new collections. We loved the playful Snowdrop lighting that welcomed us into the studio.

Our next stop was Designersblock at the landmark Bargehouse, the platform for emerging and established designers as we drifted around the building with pocket rooms exploding with creativity. It’s an unconventional feature of the festival and yet the epitome of cutting edge creativity.

Yangzi Wang, surface textile and new material designer immediately caught our eye. This year she explored the future of tradition with authentic Chinese hand woven techniques and skilled carpentry with modern design.

We loved the ‘Secret Storytelling’ based on Magical Realism from Imagery Code’s luxury ceramics. They use handmade sculptural techniques with traditional Korean porcelain that brings delicate artwork to the table.

So Klara packed a punch with her striking fabrics that celebrate the art of colour. Her background in fine art shone through with these intricate hand painted designs that have been digitally printed.

Contemporary designer, Taz Pollard stayed true to her ethos of ‘redefining the value we place on everyday objects by making them extraordinary’. The lunar accents were a vibrant dichotomy to her use of traditional handmade practices.

Sophie Southgate didn’t disappoint with her signature style shown in her fabulous range of contemporary ceramics as she continues to challenge our concepts of the material.

The creative flair and sustainability from Silkfelt’s impossible world of textiles by Yulia Badian was seen across her eye-catching designs. She uses ancient techniques with wool from rare breeds, silk and soap to make these wondrous creations.